Royal Oaks Stable

21/01/2025

I’m beyond excited!!! Infinity Equine will be scheduled at Royal Oaks Stable this spring! If you want to schedule a haul in or add your farm feel free to reach out! Check out the page for more details about Infinity Equine.

17/01/2025

Days like this help restore the soul for more cold days ahead 😊🥶

15/01/2025

💭What’s so great about a track system 🔂

Well…
It’s so important that even on these bitter cold days we keep movement a priority! Movement helps prevent muscles from locking up and helps with circulation and heating up the body. The track system here is perfect for all these things 👆🏻🥶🫶

There’s about 50 other perks but I’ll save that for another post😊

03/01/2025

🤗 Progress is not linear 🏔️

Let those words sink deep as you enter a new day, a new year on your continuing journey with your horse.

I promise you that even the best of riders and fanciest of horses will experience this as well. Know that you are not ALONE and you don’t have to train alone either. Having good support is pivotal to help steer the highs and lows on what can feel like a rollercoaster journey🎢!

If you’re anything like me, and you like to start with broken horses, your journey most certainly won’t look anything like a straight line😆! I think that is my natural defense mechanism in a weird way…you know it’s already broken and it can’t get worse…so let’s start putting the pieces together to build a better tomorrow for this horse.

Being realistic with the landscape of your journey will bear fruit if you are willing to look for it. Don’t let the lows and set backs of your journey ROB you of the lesson. Tenacity, humility, GRIT & passion are a few notches you’ll gain….and maybe a little PTSD😆. All jokes aside that truly is such a vital lesson. It’s a combination of good and bad lessons that will mold a fruitful future.

I encourage people to journal their sessions or capture moments with pictures and video. By doing this it will allow you to remove pressure from the “BIG picture” and allow you the space to celebrate the small WIN🎉👏. The foundation of progress is built on many small wins.

https://www.facebook.com/share/qpiBJDTDX92UG9MA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I try and explain to everyone this is what it’s like training a horse. There is no straight route to success, we must have ups and downs, backwards and forward progress, it’s normal and should be expected.

25/12/2024

12/12/2024

What’s your missing puzzle piece 🧩

Being an equestrian is more than a passion; it’s a lifestyle, a commitment, and sometimes, a steep learning curve. For those of us chasing the dream, the journey is as rewarding as it is challenging.

What is/are your missing puzzle pieces that prevent you from moving on in your journey 🧩 ?

🐎 Knowledge Gaps
From understanding horse care to mastering proper riding techniques, there’s always more to learn. It can feel overwhelming to balance everything from groundwork to advanced riding skills.

💰 Financial Strain
Let’s face it: horses aren’t cheap. Tack, lessons, boarding, vet bills—it all adds up. Finding ways to make it sustainable can be a struggle but not impossible.

⏳ Time Management
Horses demand time and consistency. Juggling work, family, and barn time can leave you feeling stretched thin.

💪 Building Confidence
Every rider experiences setbacks, whether it’s a fall, a tough lesson, or doubting your abilities. Finding the courage to keep going is part of the journey.

🤝 Finding the Right Support
From the right trainer to a community of fellow riders, having the right people in your corner can make all the difference. But finding that perfect fit isn’t always easy.

🏋️‍♀️ Physical & Mental Challenges
Riding isn’t just about sitting on a horse—it’s a workout! Staying fit and maintaining a resilient mindset is key.

Despite these challenges, the love for horses keeps us coming back. Every ride, every small victory, every moment with your equine partner makes it worth it!

What’s been the biggest challenge in your equestrian journey? And how have you worked to overcome it? Share your thoughts below!

08/12/2024

Great day to stretch the horses legs on the track and clean paddocks!

27/11/2024

Wishing everyone a safe & blessed Thanksgiving 🦃💜

26/11/2024

Who likes to SAVE money 💵⁉️

From now till Christmas, you will see a few Black Friday deals drop!

Hit LIKE, FOLLOW & SHARE so you don't miss out!

🏷️BLACK FRIDAY DEAL #1 🎉
NOV 25 – DEC 7
25% OFF GIFT CERTIFICATES

✅CAN BE USED ON ANY BODYWORK, PEMF, EQUIVIBE, KINESIOLOGY TAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTS

✅OFFER AVAILABLE FOR EXTERNAL & INTERNAL CLIENTS (travel fee not included)

🟢NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH OTHER EXISTING DISCOUNTS, PACKAGE OR BOARD

🟢AVAILABLE IN $25 INCREMENTS
MUST BE USED BY 12/31/2025.

🟢Comment below or send a DM for purchase instructions

20/11/2024

Meet the TEAM!

Running a farm is no small task! It takes a lot of man power and hours to make sure everything runs smoothly. Which is why I’m so grateful for my volunteers!!!

Georgi has been with ROS since the spring and has been such a tremendous help! From scrubbing buckets, dusting the cob webs, cleaning paddocks, tack cleaning & grooming. Georgi learned many things during her time here, including that riding your horse is often times the smallest % of what we do😆.

Since today is Georgi’s last day we made sure to get some riding in. Her favorite is Tango (can’t blame her😁💙). You can’t go wrong with tall, dark & handsome!

If you know anyone that is looking for volunteer hours, loves horse & doesn’t mind getting dirty send them on over!!

17/11/2024

🫖Time to spill the tea on this week’s blend of herbal infusion.

🍵Did you know that 1 cup of tea a day can help with digestion, reduce anxiety, sooth respiratory strain, helps cleanse the body, boost metabolism, aids painful muscles & arthritis.

☕️Like many of us, we depend on our morning routine and beverage to jump start our day! If we can feel our best, then we can do our best. We want the same for our horses!

Each morning the horses here have their own routine including getting herbal infused tea. They love it! Don’t take my word for it…give it a try!

☑️Trusted source - Organically grown and wild crafted herbs are produced right here on the farm.

❤️Beneficial - Chemical free and rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & essential amino acids.

🌿FRESH – “Farm to table” or should I say “garden to kettle” process is guaranteed to be the freshest sourced process you can find.

😋Delicious - Herbal infused tea is served top dressed on your horses grain. This is a perfect way to ensure all the supplements bind together and are all consumed.

Curious about adding tea to your horses routine? Reach out, I’d love to chat with you!

12/11/2024

As we head into colder weather it’s nice to look back on fun memories and warm days☀️

20/10/2024

If you would like to follow our journey, I’ll be posting updates (good, bad & ugly😄) on instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/melodydockendorf/profilecard/?igsh=c3loN3NvOWUxdGRj

16/10/2024

It can quickly become a spider web of compensatory patterns that will inevitably lead to other problems. Do you have issues with engagement, tripping, stiff movements, heavy on the forehand, gait abnormality, weak thoracic sling, poor topline, uneven resting stance ….the list goes on and on. We’ve all been there, right?!

By having routine lessons, bodywork & PEMF can help you identify early signs and get your horse back on track.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EzuTUDLhN7LLEsmF/?mibextid=WC7FNe

“The horse just has a little arthritis in his left hock, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much, he just gets a bit stiff!”

Horses are great compensators, and they will create alternative locomotive patterns to continue movement.

So, say this little bit of osteoarthritis causes a reduced range of motion of the tarsal (hock) joint. In an attempt to maintain stride length and hide this dysfunction to potential predators (because you never know when a lion could be waiting around the corner... or a flapping plastic bag!), the tarsal joint is rotated medially (inwards) during the swing phase of the stride. This results in asymmetrical & medial weight bearing through the digit. This places additional stress through medial hamstring muscles, resulting in muscle tension and trigger points. And this is all something that is potentially going on in the affected hindlimb.

A hip hike/drop can occur at corresponding phases of the stride, placing the sacroiliac joint under stress, resulting in paraspinal and asymmetrical gluteal tone/pain.

Decreased impulsion from the left hindlimb leads to increased weight bearing through the right forelimb diagonal. This can create tension and hypertrophy to the right pectoral muscles and related fascial planes.

The spiral of compensation could continue on further, affecting cervical muscles that become hypertonic as a result of weight shifting, digit shape and size, TMJ pain, head tiling, hyoid dysfunction, asymmetric tail holding...

Often it can be the case where I see a horse that is a chronic stage of compensation and it can be difficult to find the true cause especially when the horse may appear just overall “stiff”.

I liken the rehabilitation of chronic cases to peeling the layers off an onion; one layer at a time and piece by piece to unravel and rewind the compensation spiral. It is important to identify and manage the root cause, rather than just accepting it🐴

11/10/2024

What an incredible view tonight!